What do you call this? A de-corner? A kernel scraper? An ever-so-official corn kernel-removing tool? A corn doo-hickey? A corn thing-a-ma-jig? Call it what you like, it doesn't work. It came from a small-town hardware store, one of those places where all of life's necessities are found. I figured it must be one. So there it was in the drawer. It was the do-or-die moment of utility-or-uselessness. Place the ring over the ear, starting at the tip. Then scrape downward. Theoretically, the tool-thingie will adjust to the thickening of the cob. It does, sort of. But the net is that after using this, I still had to get out the knife to remove lots or remaining kernels. And besides: it was taking up room in an already crowded utentil drawer AND it was murder to clean. Off it goes to the church rummage sale. Maybe for a quarter, someone'll love it.

A simple, simple way to cook fresh sweet corn, then mix it with a little butter, a little lemon juice (to brighten the starchy corn) and fresh herbs. Summer fresh! ~recipe & photo updated 2010~ 2005: Between the shucking and the dekerneling (or if you don't dekernel then the FLOSSING), I always find corn on the messy side. Even though my father's family was from Iowa and we lived in northeastern Iowa when I was a teenager and I was the fourth fifth generation in the family to attend Iowa State, I missed the corn gene and never really entirely understood the attraction. Real Iowans, that is the Iowans who farm, believe that Dad doesn't head for the garden to pick the corn until Mom's got the water already boiling. This recipe has an unusual cooking technique but -- no question -- it worked fine, even on corn that had been refrigerated since (hmmm, well let's see, maybe last Saturday?) awhile back and so who knows WHEN it was picked? I didn't hold out muc

One of my most-made salads on A Veggie Venture, raw chopped vegetables tossed with Italian dressing, fresh herbs and just a spoonful of cheddar cheese. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. ~recipe & photo updated 2010~ 2005: Does this look familiar? It should, it's a reprise of Day 115 . Peering deep into the dark recesses of the frig, I wondered if it might be a good way to use up a few things and deliver lunch ta-boot. Sure enough, the technique that worked so well just two days ago with tomatoes and zucchini also worked great with a broccoli crown, a yellow pepper and a couple of stalks of celery. I did miss the tomato's texture contrast and juiciness. Add this basic idea to A Veggie Venture's "For Instance Techniques" with vegetables. The magic tricks seem to be: the brightness from fresh basil the bite of fresh onion (a red onion would work well too, I think) the tiny bit of cheese for texture contrast (though it would be a no-point salad if omitted) a

This is a simple broccoli soup. But it's also incredibly delicious. So I use the same technique with a head of cauliflower though left in a few chunks for texture. And the cauliflower soup is even more delicious than the broccoli! It's so extraordinarily creamy, you'd think it were laden with fat. But it's not – these are definitely Weight Watchers friendly soups. One recipe, two completely different soups! I combined them in a Kitchen Parade column, two healthful vegetable soups on the table in minutes! Here's the column! Quick Cauliflower Soup or Quick Broccoli Soup Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables . Join " veggie evangelist " Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to

One of my most-made salads on A Veggie Venture, raw chopped vegetables tossed with Italian dressing, fresh herbs and just a spoonful of cheese. Quick and adaptable. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. This easy summer salad is another winner from our family cookbook , this time from cousin Michelle. And is it EVER great! It's fresh, it's simple, it takes only 10 minutes to put together, it only takes a bowl and a knife and a cutting board AND it's low in calories. And very good!! What more could you want, really? This salad may be a "for Instance" recipe that lends itself to variation. [8/10/05 Update: It does. See Day 117 .] So whether creativity (ahh, what about some garlic?) or necessity (hmmm, that broccoli needs using up) are the order of the day, do try this! 2007 Update: Turns out, this is a "recipe" I make again and again because it is so eminently adaptable. Just chop some fresh vegetables! Me, I particularly like the texture combination of

A simple corn chowder recipe, packed with our favorite fresh summer vegetables like onion, carrot, red pepper, potato and sweet potato and of course, the soup's real star, kernels of sweet corn. As bright and colorful as crates of fresh vegetables lined up at the farmstand. Perfect for CSA members because the corn chowder recipe uses so many fresh vegetables, all at once. This recipe has moved! Please visit Summer's Best Corn Chowder for the updated recipe!

Simple sautéed grape or cherry tomatoes, cooked just until they burst, tossed with green onion and fresh parsley. So simple, so worthwhile! ~recipe & photo updated 2010~ 2005: How simple, how delicious! And the sautéed combination of green onion and parsley is really nice. Yes, just nice! This isn't over-the-top food though I wouldn't hesitate to serve it to company either. The plump globes of tomato even look a tiny bit sophisticated in a Whole Foods kind of way. Raw, tonight's grape tomatoes are as sweet as candy. (For local followers, I get them at the Eckert's stand at the Kirkwood farmers market. I also love the cherry tomatoes from the Scharf booth at Soulard on Saturdays.) At my house, they sit out in bowls for the taking, just like my grandmothers used to leave out sweets. I suspect that this dish is only as good as its tomatoes so mid-winter, hard-ball tomatoes from the grocery might disappoint. I'm no fanatic about buying locally but when it comes to